Time: Weeks
by Lucifer Rosemaunt
Summary: ErikRaoul slash. Time, a 3parts Series. Installment 06. A healthy dose of courting. Fluff/crack alert.
1. Courting

Disclaimer: Please don't sue. I don't own POTO... All I own is an overactive imagination.

Summary: ErikRaoul slash. Time, a 3parts Series. Installment 06. A healthy dose of courting. Fluff/crack alert.

Warning(s): slash (that's homosexual content for those of you who don't know), may be a little too fluffy.

Pairing(s): ErikRaoul

A/N: Installment 06 is here. Not that bad of a turnover rate, not that great of one either, but a post is a post. I shall work on actually writing on the weekends, which I unfortunately didn't do this past weekend, so that you don't have to wait as long.

Story note: I blame the existence of crack in this installment on Erik's insanity. You can't blame me for that, can you?

o.o.o.o

Time: Weeks

Part01:Courting

o.o.o.o

By: Lucifer Rosemaunt

o.o.o.o

o.o.o

After Erik had confessed to Raoul, things began to change in a way that Raoul had not quite expected.

He had not been wrong when he took Erik's words to be a love confession. He just had not known that it would also be the start of a courting period the likes of which Raoul had never experienced. After all, Raoul was a man. He was supposed to chase, not be chased. Then again, Raoul wondered if he really was to blame for the turn of events considering he had invited Erik to 'catch him.'

It all started with a single rose that somehow found its way into his bedroom, onto his pillow, dangerously close to his head. Raoul woke up with a start when his nose caught the fragrance and his hand found a thorn. He sat up and looked around suspiciously, the bloody finger in his mouth. He half expected to find the ghost there standing in some dark corner of his room just watching him, but he saw no one.

After last night, he was still unsure of what to think. Erik had seemed earnest, but in the months that they had spent together, Erik had also seemed like he had not known where Christine was. Raoul figured that the best course of action would be to wait Erik out. If he were playing, then it would become obvious as time went on and if he saw how stalwart Raoul could be, then perhaps he would give up his ruse completely.

If he was not playing… Raoul did not want to think about that option. He had to assume that every action was a plan to lull him into a false sense of security so that Erik would be able to easily manipulate him.

Raoul had grabbed the offending rose careful of its thorns and had every intention of throwing it away. That was what he should have done. It did smell good though, and Raoul was fond of roses. It had never really caught his eye very much in the past, but he had bought enough of them to be able to appreciate their fragrance and the soft texture of its petals. Instead of the rose ending up scattered into pieces outside of his balcony, it ended up on Raoul's nightstand.

He had stared at it for a long moment after having put it down, not realizing that he was grinning. He really should throw it away to make a point.

He was supposed to be angry or annoyed or disappointed or betrayed, but he was not any of those things. He was just confused. He also knew he was supposed to hate Erik because of his betrayal, but it was hard to hate someone he liked. And missed. And had the sudden urge to see now.

Sighing, Raoul reminded himself of all the reasons he should distrust Erik. The man snuck into his house… and left him a rose. The man had stolen his clothes… but nothing too important. The man had lied to him… he had also shared a lot of himself in the past months they had spent together. It had been a rather big lie, Raoul reminded himself. This was Christine's betrayal they were talking about. Well, that was the past and it had to have been an even bigger step for the infamous ghost to tell Raoul anything about himself.

Raoul stared at the rose with a frown.

Erik used to give Christine roses. He remembered seeing them. Luckily, Erik had not placed a black ribbon on it or else it would have definitely been ripped apart before being thrown it out of the window. He was not Christine.

Neither was Erik. Christine was the manipulator. And Erik was too in a way. Christine had tried to manipulate the managers, and Erik did not try so much as succeed in doing so most of the time. Both had confessed their feelings for him. He had considered both of them rather close. So, what was the difference? Only one stuck out.

Erik was still here.

But that was not fair because Erik had nowhere else to go. Then again, Erik was still trying to maintain whatever connection they had with each other while Christine had just left at the first sign of Raoul's doubt.

No.

Raoul refused to believe it. It had only been one rose. Erik was manipulating him and Raoul was not even putting up a fight. Who cared if Raoul might be attracted to the man? He was being played for a fool. Raoul scoffed, disappointed in himself. One rose and he was ready to fall at the man's feet. How easy did that make him?

He was about to grab the rose to throw away, again but he could not bring himself to take his frustrations out on an innocent plant. At least, that was what he told himself. He placed the rose back down before leaving the room and slamming the door shut to ease some of his frustrations.

He had spent the rest of the morning thinking of that rose. When he arrived at the opera house in the afternoon to avoid any unpleasant memories of early mornings in the opera house, he met with the managers, did a good job avoiding Meg for her sake of course, and finished all the relevant business. He was quick and efficient and glad that he had yet to run into Erik.

His first inclination was to leave immediately but he managed to convince himself that he should visit the hallway that had been redone. He had yet to inspect the workmanship. Touching the walls that had been repainted, it looked like nothing had happened here at all. Christine's presence once again erased, but Erik's… this place now reminded Raoul of the man. He no longer doubted that Erik had tried to kill Christine. She had betrayed him, lied to him, and had just been about to use Raoul against him. Raoul sighed once more. He really was too dense not to realize anything suspicious. He had given her the benefit of the doubt.

A part of him wondered why he was not giving the ghost the same benefit of doubt.

"Good evening, Raoul."

The voice seemed to wash over him and Raoul felt his body respond. That was why he could not allow himself to give the ghost the benefit of doubt. There was so much more he could lose this time around.

He turned around to see Erik leaning casually on the wall opposite his. He noted the distance that Erik had respected, but he still felt like that was too close.

"Good evening, Erik," he managed to say with a calm he did not feel. He did not know what Erik was planning, but there was no point in getting excited over nothing. He had just said hello.

Erik smiled and it was the oddest thing Raoul had seen in a while. Erik did not smile at people. He smirked or grinned. Or if he did smile, there was a sense of mockery in it. This one though looked like an attempt to be genuine, and though Raoul knew it should be comforting, it was rather disturbing. For a moment, he could not pinpoint why.

When Erik realized that Raoul was not going to return his smile, he stopped trying so hard. It was annoying that he was even trying so hard anyway. Raoul had spent enough time in his presence to know that Erik did not smile like that.

When the familiar frown replaced the smile, Raoul felt bad that he had not tried to return the smile. It was obvious to him that Erik was trying to be civil. It was perhaps a vast improvement from avoiding each other, which Raoul had to admit, was mostly his fault. It was increasingly better than the time that Erik had easily walked into his personal space.

Looking at Erik again, Raoul just realized why the smile did not look right with him. It was the mask. It blocked too much of Erik's face and the smooth, blank surface contrasted so greatly with the attempt at mirth in the smile that it seemed wrong. Raoul shrugged or maybe it was because Erik never smiled. Seeing that Erik was in fact not moving, he wondered if he could walk out of whatever conversation Erik was going to force upon him.

"Did you receive the rose I sent to you?" Erik asked even though he had been outside Raoul's window watching him just that morning.

Raoul scowled. He was not going to give him reason to be smug. In fact, Raoul decided to give him as hard a time with whatever he was planning. "No."

Erik smirked and Raoul almost smiled at the familiar expression. Unfortunately, he knew what it meant. Erik knew he was lying, but maybe he did not know exactly what he was lying about.

"And the rose by your bed?" Erik pushed off the wall and approached Raoul. So, the boy would lie to him, and quite badly too. He was not so blind or deaf to notice that pause before he spoke.

Raoul blushed, but refused to back down. He knew he should have thrown that rose away. "Was that from you?" He pretended to think about it. "I thought it was from one of my female admirers," he added pointedly.

This time Erik scowled. It was not as though he did not know Raoul was lying. It was simply disappointing that Raoul would resort to such juvenile actions.

"Oh," Erik replied stiffly, "I see. I'll have to make sure you get the next one."

He walked away from Raoul even though he had wanted to stay. However, he had considered it at length the night before. He was going to court Raoul and make the man fall in love with him. It was a simple plan. Start small. A rose, maybe a song, maybe something more. He was not quite sure how it was supposed to go, but the women in the opera house always received flowers before a gentleman caller came.

Raoul would receive so many flowers that he would not know what to do with them.

He had time now and Raoul's lack of outright refusal only fueled his desire to be successful in this chase.

o.o.o

The next morning, Raoul was careful waking up. He did not want to find another thorn in his finger. However, he was slightly disappointed to find that there was no rose on the pillow. He chastised himself for looking forward to seeing how far Erik would go in this ruse of his supposed affection toward him. Apparently not far at all.

Raoul went through the motions of his morning routine in a bad mood. He was about to stomp out of the house when he stopped himself. There was a bouquet of roses on his front step. Raoul fought the smile that was forming. He was not supposed to be this pleased and knowing Erik, he was probably watching. However, Raoul did not know who it was from just yet, so he allowed himself to smile. Biting his lip, Raoul slowly bent down to caress the petals with his fingers. Counting them, he saw twelve roses. He picked them up smelling them in the process. A small note that Raoul had not seen dropped to the floor.

Crouching, Raoul picked up the note and opened it.

_I wanted to make certain you found this present._

_Yours completely, Erik_

Raoul was faintly aware of the fact that he was crouching at his front door and grinning madly, but he could not bring himself to care until he realized that he was not supposed to be pleased. Cursing himself for his lack of self-control, Raoul schooled his features to something more akin to annoyance. He crumpled the note and walked back into the house. Slamming the door behind him, Raoul handed the roses to the nearest servant and asked them to put it in a vase somewhere in a hallway that never saw the light of day. Ignoring the servant's confused expression, Raoul ran towards the hallway that ran along the stairway. He scrambled with his pocket watch on which a key was attached.

There was a room underneath the stairway that Raoul had claimed as his. It was small, had no window except for a small one on the door that had been painted over, and one side sloped along with the stairway beneath which it was situated. Fumbling with the key, he opened the door and shut it immediately after entering. He waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. What little light provided by the small window on the door did nothing but cast the room in a grey hue. However, his hands easily found the matches and candle that were always waiting on the table by the door.

The room was a comfortable size. It was it was long enough that Raoul had spent more than a few nights pacing the room. A large divan took up the wall opposite the sloping one. Several pillows and an old coverlet that used to belong to his grandmother were thrown haphazardly onto it. He could not count the times that he had fallen asleep there and Philippe had been left worried sick. It was nicest when it was winter because Raoul's own body heat would be able to warm the area well. That had been of course when Philippe had been around to take care of everything in the household and Raoul could hide away for some lengths of time. He had not been able to shirk his duties in a while.

There was a small table by the wall beside the door that held candles and matches as well as some old newspapers neatly piled in one corner. Above the table, there was a small portrait of his family.

Against the wall that sloped were a dresser, several crates, and an assortment of items ranging from small wooden toys to swords to jewelry boxes that he had gathered and saved through the years. They were Raoul's past and things that he had not been able to throw away when the time had come to move on. He knew if Philippe had his way, items from their past would have long been thrown away. Raoul liked seeing Philippe's old practice sword or the riding crop that he had stolen from his brother just because he had been mad at him. He also knew that hidden in the top drawer of the dresser was a shirt whose sleeve had been torn off. He was not quite sure why he had kept it, but he was not going to throw it away any time soon.

This was Raoul's personal haven; no one else had ever entered it. He would be too embarrassed if anyone tried.

Already feeling stuffy, Raoul reached beneath the table to open the vent that was there.

He pulled the note he had crumpled out of his pocket and tried to straighten it against the table. He sighed. The note would never be the same again. The crease marks crossed through the small piece of paper.

His hand still pressing down on the note, Raoul realized how pathetic this was. He was trying to salvage a note from the ghost, from the man who was trying to manipulate him. However, he refused to let that stop him. Rummaging through the items on the floor, he cried out triumphantly when he came back to the table with a heavy statue of angel that had a large square base. Placing the statue on the note, Raoul made sure it was securely on the table before blowing out the candle. Leaving the room, Raoul glanced back one last time before securely locking the door behind him.

Raoul knew he could not show any more emotion. He told himself that he would only be hurt in the end by whatever game Erik was playing with him. On his way out, he saw the bouquet of roses set on the table. He could do this. He would not be swayed by anything the ghost did to him now. Christine had already trampled on his affections. He would not let it happen a second time no matter how nice the gestures seemed.

o.o.o

Honestly, he had not thought that Raoul would be so stubborn.

Erik had not been pleased by Raoul's reactions to his gifts. He had left a bouquet of roses at Raoul's doorstep every morning, and that first time, he really was starting to think that maybe the boy _had_ thought it was a gift from admirers. He did not doubt that Raoul was not in want for admirers. He had not seen the smile or the absolute joy in his expression since the first bouquet he had sent. After that, Raoul just frowned, picked up the bouquet and note, and disappeared into the house again.

He had seen the Vicomte give the bouquet away to his servants. Then, after the first note, which had been crumpled to Erik's dismay, Raoul had not even bothered to read the other notes. He had a sneaking suspicion that Raoul was simply burning them.

It was quite the predicament he was in. He could try to find out who was interested in the Vicomte, but he knew that list to be quite long. He was one of the most eligible bachelors in all of France after all. What woman would not confess an interest in him? It did not help that he was handsome and good-natured. However, what woman would be bold enough to send the man flowers? It did not seem plausible, unless Raoul's admirers were actually men. Erik would not allow himself to believe that. No man would be that forward – Erik considered himself an exception to that rule.

He shrugged off those thoughts. He could get annoyed, but what was the point. What fun was a chase if he could catch his prey with a couple of bouquets of roses? This made it that much more interesting and it would only mean catching Raoul would be that much more satisfying.

o.o.o

Raoul only allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief inside his haven. He did not know how long he could remain emotionless. Every morning he took the bouquet of roses into the house making sure to not let the note fall to the ground. By the fourth bouquet, a servant was already waiting to grab it from him while Raoul went to the only safe place away from prying eyes to read the note. He laughed and smiled every time he read the note. A different message for every morning, but Erik could be so random sometimes that Raoul had to wonder what Erik was thinking. He placed them all under the angel statue before heading out.

He managed to get through the times that Erik would suddenly appear to speak with him. Luckily, the man had kept his distance from Raoul as they spoke of small things about the opera house. Erik no longer asked about the roses, and Raoul no longer had to lie about them. Raoul hated such polite conversations and he was certain that Erik hated them too. However, Erik always kept a semi-pleasant demeanor as they spoke about the weather and the well-being of family members as well as the success of Raoul's business ventures.

Erik was being polite and it was driving Raoul mad. He did not know what Erik expected to accomplish with this new attitude. He rather liked the old Erik who would throw insults at him and they would simply fight. This way seemed even more false than any interaction they had ever had in the past.

It was almost… normal. And normal was something neither of them could ever be. Erik because, well, he was the opera ghost and he had a deformity that would always make him an outcast. Raoul because… because he was not adverse to the idea of accepting Erik's confession as something that could be more.

Raoul shook his head. He did not know what was going through the ghost's mind. Sighing what he felt was the hundredth sigh in the past week, he walked onto his estate. He just wanted to go to sleep and forget these past two weeks ever occurred. It had just been too much. He walked into his bedroom and froze. The smell of roses overpowered his senses the second he had opened his door. His room was filled with them.

Raoul immediately kept his face blank. He somehow managed to hold in his absolute shock. He even managed to look disdainful.

He had the fleeting thought that he should be worried that the ghost could easily enter his house and spend so much time decorating his room. He slowly approached his bed and found a note. Making sure that his back was to the window, Raoul let himself smile. He had to admit that the man knew how to outdo even himself. A bouquet of roses every morning had been a lot to start with. This was incredible. Opening the note, he read,

_A rose for every time I thought of you this week._

_Forever yours, Erik_

_Ps… It may be lacking because they ran out of roses. _

Raoul stifled a giggle. He forced himself to frown when he turned around to inspect the roses. Their thorns had been cut off. Grabbing an armful off his bed, he walked out of the room before telling a servant to gather all the roses and make good use of them. Raoul retreated to the room beneath the stairs, somehow managing to unlock the door, and dropped the armful of roses onto the table. They would die, but until then, he wanted to breathe the smell of roses. He read the note again.

Raoul placed the note along with the others before dropping onto the divan. Stretching along it, Raoul wondered what he should do. This was not going very well. Erik did not seem to be stopping any time soon and if anything, Raoul had a sinking feeling that things would only escalate. That did not mean that Erik was not trying to manipulate him though. It only meant that he just might be Erik's new obsession.

He liked Erik, a lot. Maybe it was more than attraction, more than lust, maybe loved was even an appropriate word, but he could not be sure. He just knew that he wanted to see Erik whenever they were apart. Was that love? Maybe that combined with lust made it love. Erik claimed to love him, but he had loved Christine too and Raoul thought love could not just be forgotten. Raoul had thought that he had loved Christine as well, but he did not think what he felt for her could be called love anymore. Love was not supposed to be that weak.

He just did not know what to believe.

A knock on the door pulled Raoul from his thoughts.

"You're room is now clean, Vicomte."

The maid grinned at him as he made his way upstairs. He had heard the gossip around the house. It made it slightly embarrassing to meet their eyes sometimes, but nothing was meant maliciously. He just could not fight the blush on his cheeks when they grinned at him so knowingly. Entering his room, he frowned. They had tidied the room up taking the roses off the furniture, but instead of throwing them out they had put them in vases all around his room. Bowing his head in defeat, Raoul changed for the night.

As he climbed underneath the covers and settled, a soft voice filtered into the room. It was deep and soothing. And Raoul was pulled closer to sleep until he realized just who it was. His back stiffened and he pulled the blanket over his head in an attempt to outwardly show he was trying to block out the sound. It hardly mattered. Raoul could hear it clearly through the comforter. The only thing he was hiding was his smile.

o.o.o.o

End part 01

Word count: 4,054

o.o.o.o

o.o.o.o.o.o

o.o.o.o

A/N: Don't forget to R/R (Read and Review)!

Chapter review: So, Raoul's playing (not exactly playing) hard to get. He's getting better at lying though. Yay! Let Erik try harder.

Author review: Uh, this whole installment has been awkward to write. I think it is because the tone is different and the plot is weird and there's no big conflict besides the internal one that Raoul's experiencing (Oh and Erik too).


	2. UnHealthy Obsession

Disclaimer: Please don't sue. I don't own POTO... All I own is an overactive imagination.

Summary: ErikRaoul slash. Time, a 3parts Series. Installment 06. A healthy dose of courting. Fluff/crack alert.

Warning(s): slash (that's homosexual content for those of you who don't know), may be a little too fluffy.

Pairing(s): ErikRaoul

A/N: Let's hope this one isn't as awkward.

Story note: It does get more crazy though. Erik has a tendency to go off the deep end. Excuse him (and me for writing it).

o.o.o.o

Time: Weeks

Part02:(Un)Healthy Obsession

o.o.o.o

By: Lucifer Rosemaunt

o.o.o.o

Last time: Raoul gets flooded with roses and serenades. Erik's still in high hopes regarding his prospects with Raoul.

o.o.o.o

o.o.o

It had been several weeks since Erik had started courting Raoul, and every day held a brand new surprise.

Every morning Raoul would find a bouquet with a note with a different message and every morning Erik managed to make him smile – though Raoul refused to let Erik see his reaction.

Every afternoon, he would spend a few minutes a day speaking with Erik about unimportant subjects.

Every evening, Raoul was serenaded, sung to sleep and he had to admit his dreams were just that much better.

Every Sunday his room was filled to the brim with roses (of every sort now) with the same message.

…_for every time I thought about you…_

Raoul had to admit, Erik was doing a fantastic job of courting him. He was persistent, surprisingly romantic, and committed to his goal in a one-minded fashion that made Raoul almost marvel at his ability to be so focused. He was just now wondering how many plants would have to die at his expense.

o.o.o

After a month, things started to get out of hand. Raoul, of course, still feigned disinterest. He was however, more willing to admit that perhaps Erik was sincere. He hoped he was sincere because Raoul was beginning to think he was willing to risk it anyway. But still, he refused to admit that just yet. He wanted to see how far Erik would go.

Raoul was tired of being the only one invested in their relationship. Raoul had been the one to always go to the storage room, go out of his way to meet with Erik. He was usually the one who did favors for the ghost when the managers were being particularly difficult. Raoul was certain that he spent more time thinking about the ghost than the ghost probably thought about him. It was only fair that Raoul should be able to appreciate this moment.

When Raoul started finding notes in his underwear drawer, he began to draw the line. He was still amused. Okay, he was incredibly amused, but he knew that some propriety was in order especially where his under clothing was concerned. Erik could not just go through his things like he was doing.

Then there was the sheet music that found its way into his closet. He found it in a jacket that Raoul was certain was the ghost's. Raoul had to stifle a laugh; he had the thought that maybe Erik was trying to move into his house item by item.

It had been some time since he had last tried, but Raoul read the music and he could make out the tune in his head, just barely. It was a beautiful melody, Raoul hoped. He just had not known who to go to to ask what it really sounded like. If he did so at the opera house, then Erik would know that he was interested.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait very long to hear the music because when he went to the opera house after finding the music, an hour after his arrival, he started to hear a melody. It was quiet at first, but it seemed to seep into the managers' office. It was odd because the music from the theatre usually could not penetrate the door of the office.

The managers and he had at first continued their meeting, ignoring the sound. They would have continued to do so except that it only grew louder and louder until Raoul wondered why the melody sounded familiar. He knew the sound was an organ and that melody…. Raoul knew it had to be the music on the sheet at home. He hid his smile from the managers and closed his eyes to better to hear the melody. It was more beautiful than in his head.

The managers opened the door to complain about the noise, but when the door opened, the sound from the organ seemed to increase threefold. Raoul slowly walked out of the managers' office in awe. The sound seemed to echo throughout the whole opera house. People were holding their hands over their ears and running around looking for its source. There was no source. It came from the very soul of the opera house, or perhaps from the very heart of the opera house.

Raoul marveled at how the sounds seemed to reverberate through his body. He could actually feel the music. He could feel Erik there with him.

He had relished the moment being under the assumption that it would be the last time that Raoul would be able to hear it. He had been wrong. In addition to the lullabies at night, during the first two hours of Raoul's visit to the opera house, it was filled with their song, as he so called it in his mind. It was their song. The stagehands had found that the sound was loud because it seemed to come from the vents. Even though they did everything they could to dampen the sound, somehow Erik found a way to make the sound bypass those vents. The music came out of every corner of the opera house.

There was no stopping it and Raoul loved every minute of it. He loved the frustration of the managers and the occupants of the theatre. He loved how he had those first two hours to just sit, listen, and relax, something he had not been able to do lately. He loved how no one else knew just what the ghost was doing by interrupting their days for two hours. He loved how he could actually smile because he knew for a fact that Erik would be the one playing the organ and he was free from the man's scrutiny.

He even heard it in his head whenever he was away from the opera house. However, it meant that two hours of the day, rehearsals had to be stopped because all their timing was off since they could not concentrate on the actual music.

As a result, Raoul had been forced to not go to the opera house for several days. Several days in which the ghost exacted a retaliation against all the residents of the opera house. Raoul never learned exactly what happened but he knew it had something to do with nasty rumors, rope, and alcohol. Raoul did not think he wanted to know.

He was requested, begged, to return to the opera house immediately. So, Raoul enjoyed two hours of Erik's organ playing every day.

Their afternoon talks had evolved much like that of his serenades. At first, it had been those polite conversations. As much as Raoul hated those conversations, he had to admit that he disliked not being able to see Erik even more.

Something changed suddenly. Raoul assumed that Erik had simply reached a breaking point.

Erik began invading his personal space. It started small. When they were talking, Erik would move closer to him. Then, it was a hand on his arm or shoulder. When Raoul tried to increase the distance between them, Erik would only be more insistent. Then, the conversations suddenly stopped. Raoul had been disappointed and wondered what he had done wrong or maybe if he was pushing Erik away too much.

However, instead of using words, Erik began to use his actions to speak for him and Raoul was chagrined to discover that Erik's actions were not interested in polite conversation.

When Raoul was walking through the opera house, he would suddenly feel a caress against his shoulder or across his back. The first few times, Raoul convinced himself that it was simply his imagination. Then, there came a point when Raoul actually saw Erik after such an occasion occurred. The man looked completely unapologetic at which Raoul had been angered. Erik had groped him. It was surprising and altogether uncalled for.

Where he had once been excited to go to the opera house, Raoul had become paranoid the second he stepped inside the place. The only time he was calm was when Erik was playing the organ. It meant that he would not somehow pop up behind him and touch him inappropriately. Raoul had lost the number of times his butt had been grabbed, squeezed, or grazed. And yes, he had tried to keep track in those three separate categories because Erik appeared to like to change things up. It would have been nice if that had been the worst offense, but Raoul found that Erik had no shame in such matters.

In fact, that had been the turning point at which Erik began to take anything he wanted from Raoul. It would have been alarming, but things had been gradually building up to this point and it was not very surprising at all. Raoul had been surprised that Erik had managed to control himself for so long. Raoul did not like to admit that he too had been reaching a breaking point.

If he had thought the initial kiss had been vicious, he had grossly underestimated Erik's resolve in the matter of convincing Raoul what he felt was true. Erik would grab him from behind and pulling them as close together as they could be, he would kiss and nibble on Raoul's neck. The man would avoid kissing his mouth completely. When Raoul's senses finally came to him, because Erik was actually becoming quite good at distracting Raoul, he would insist on struggling. At least, he would have struggled if the ghost did not disappear as quickly as he appeared making Raoul wonder if their encounter had actually happened or if his imagination was becoming increasingly vivid. These attacks happened so frequently that Raoul had almost been introduced to every dark corner of the opera house. Admittedly, at times, he would unnecessarily make solo inspections around the opera house, but he never invited the ghost to follow him and molest him at every opportunity he had.

Raoul had never been touched so much by another individual in his whole life, but he'd also never been left so unsatisfied for so long since their encounters were brief though many. He had learned that Erik's hands were quite talented.

o.o.o

Erik had waited for Raoul to return his affections. He waited bouquet after bouquet for Raoul to break down and tell him he loved him or at least was beginning to believe that Erik was sincere. When the flowers did not work, he knew he had to try harder. He had expected to see Raoul slip in his act and would show his pleasure, but that did not happen. Yet, Erik fully believed that it was only a matter of time.

He waited for Raoul to respond to him after the first lullaby and the second and third… Raoul would only pull the covers over his head and ignore him. Erik did not like being ignored. The part of him that appreciated a good challenge only grew more excited with each passing day. The other part of him that simply wanted to have Raoul immediately, told him to stop courting the patron and to just take him. Erik always figured that he could use that tactic as a last resort.

The wait was not too bad. Christine had taken years after all. Hers had been music lessons and promises of a great future. He wondered what he could offer Raoul who had every resource available to him. All he knew was that the bouquets and the lullabies were not working. Neither were their small conversations, but Erik had those with Raoul just to see the boy.

So, when night after night of serenading the boy did not work, Erik was wondering if he was thinking too small. He did not mind visiting Raoul in his own estate, but he knew he had better control over the opera house. He had to do something more. So he set to composing.

In the mean time, he decided that Raoul needed to be reminded of him more often. Erik wanted to occupy every second of the boy's mind. He did not want anything less than everything. So, he left Raoul notes in places that Raoul was certain to go to.

When Erik had composed a song that he felt was perfect for Raoul, he made a copy and left it at his estate inside a jacket that he knew Raoul would immediately recognize as not his own. The size was completely off.

Raoul had looked unimpressed, but then he disappeared into that little room in the house that Erik could not sneak a peak into because there were always too many servants on the first floor. Erik wondered if Raoul was simply going to that room to laugh at him. He would have to find out later, but until then, he waited until he could play the song for Raoul.

When the Vicomte stepped into the opera house, Erik had raced down to his home to set his plan in motion. He played the organ as loudly as possible. He had opened all the vents and had constructed a series of tubes that he found could be used to carry the sound through the caverns and up through the crags to the opera house. He was pleased to find that it was not that difficult to inundate the opera house in Raoul's song, in their song.

Though he could not see Raoul's reaction, it was worth it just to make sure that Raoul knew he was still not going to give up.

When he received no response from that in their conversations, Erik was beginning to think that words would not make Raoul understand. Erik had always been a man of action. He was a doer and if the songs were not enough, then he would make Raoul's body realize that he was honest.

That was the excuse he told himself anyway. In reality, Erik knew that he was reaching wits end trying to stay away from Raoul. He was trying to give him distance when all Erik wanted to do was make it so that there was no distance between them for quite some time.

So, he finally gave into his desire and followed whatever it told him to do. He touched whatever of Raoul he could, whenever he could, however he could, and as long as he could. Opportunities kept arising and Erik always rose to the challenge. Sometimes it seemed like Raoul was intentionally going away from the crowds of the opera house just for him, but Erik knew it had to be his imagination.

Raoul would always eventually struggle against his touches. He frowned at his flowers and ignored his songs.

But in the end, Raoul never outright refused him, so he allowed himself to hope that Raoul may soon come around. He just hoped that soon would be very soon since he was beginning to be tempted to move past touching. He loved the sounds that came out of Raoul's mouth: the moans and whimpers. It made Erik's blood race through his body. Then there was the moments Raoul would subconsciously rub his body against Erik's, and Erik would have to stifle his own groan.

Soon would not be soon enough.

o.o.o

Raoul had been seated on the steps in the main hallway listening to their song. It was the area that the music sounded the loudest. He had just attended a meeting with managers before they gave up. They did not know what to do about the ghost. Raoul shrugged. He did not know either. Erik would do whatever he wanted in the long run and Raoul would not really be able to control the man. He did not really want to control anyone. The music stopped, and Raoul stood up to leave. He would have liked to stay longer, but unfortunately, he had another appointment to go to that was not opera house business.

Madame Giry intercepted him before he could leave.

"Stop this," she ordered.

Raoul looked at her in confusion. He had not spoken with her since the time Erik had been threatening Meg, "Stop what?"

She gave him an unamused look. "I want you to tell him to _stop_. You will stop whatever game you two are playing."

Raoul blushed. "I don't…"

She gave him a look and he found himself automatically nodding.

"This is disrupting life here, and I expect everything to return to normal by the end of this week."

Raoul sighed. That gave four days to think of something to say to Erik. He was a little disappointed but several weeks would have to be enough time for Erik's brand of courtship.

Deciding he would have time tomorrow to do it, Raoul was almost out the door when he was yanked backwards. A hot breath caressed his neck and kisses traced the path on his neck. His head was forcefully but not painfully turned to the side.

"Good-bye kiss." Raoul was not even sure if that sentence had not been his own thought; it seemed to have just crept into his mind. His body already knew what to expect.

Erik's lips descended then like rainfall onto Raoul's lips. Just for a second before Erik pulled away and disappeared. Raoul stumbled but kept his balance. Making sure that he was frowning, Raoul left the opera house as though nothing had happened.

He ignored the fact that his heart wanted to jump out of his chest. Or the fact that Raoul had a desire to just turn around and look for the ghost for something more than just teasing. That was the second kiss on the lips that they had ever shared. It had been achingly gentle, as though Erik had been trying to apologize for their first kiss, and Raoul was willing to forgive him for everything. He was willing to ignore every doubt in his head and heart and just accept the man.

Raoul knew that he definitely needed to think of something good to tell the man.

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End part 02

Word count: 3,005

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A/N: Don't forget to R/R (Read and Review)!

Story review: I like the ending and the fact that Raoul's going to have to finally confront Erik. I'm not too fond of anything else.

Author review: I think I know why I'm not pleased with this installment. It's mostly just listing what had happened. I like direct action – like the ending of this chapter where Erik and Raoul interact in real time (you know what I mean). The next chapter has more real time action.


	3. Admissions

Disclaimer: Please don't sue. I don't own POTO... All I own is an overactive imagination.

Summary: ErikRaoul slash. Time, a 3parts Series. Installment 06. A healthy dose of courting. Fluff/crack alert.

Warning(s): slash (that's homosexual content for those of you who don't know), may be a little too fluffy.

Pairing(s): ErikRaoul

A/N: Last chapter of Installment 06. Thanks to my reviewers and readers (I'd say more thanks to my reviewers :P)

Story note: I think Raoul's an exhibitionist. You know what I just realized. When I think of Raoul I think of someone really young (I know eighteen isn't really young or naïve especially then), but that's just how I seem to write him (I'll have to fix that in the next story I write).

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Time: Weeks

Part03:Admissions

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By: Lucifer Rosemaunt

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Last time: Erik's disrupting opera life (no surprise there). Madame Giry tells Raoul he has to go stop it. Raoul grudgingly agrees.

o.o.o

As Erik played Raoul's song he thought about Madame Giry's ultimatum. Raoul hadn't given any indication of how he felt towards him, but Erik knew he wasn't as nervous as he could be. It didn't matter that his fingers were trembling a bit and that he had accidentally hit a few wrong notes. That wasn't nerves. It was just an off day.

Raoul had proven difficult to read. Apparently, he could hide his emotions if he so desired, but if he thought about it, Raoul was being compliant. He let Erik touch him, which Erik greatly appreciated, but maybe that was resignation and not desire that he saw in his eyes. Maybe it was simply lust that had Raoul moaning and leaning into his touch. Erik wouldn't mind that either. If he had Raoul's body then the mind would not be that far to follow. He just wished he knew what was going on through the fop's head.

Erik knew that today would be the day that Raoul revealed something.

o.o.o

Raoul listened to their song play throughout the theatre for what he knew would be the last time. He closed his eyes and let the music carry him away from the opera house, away from his nerves.

He was currently in the storage room just waiting. The sound was not as great as it was in the main hall, but he would rather not have this conversation in front of everyone. He had had a meeting with the managers and passed a silent threat from Madame Giry. Today was the last day of Madame Giry's ultimatum. He could understand why she was angry. The opera house should come first and foremost, not Raoul's personal life. He also did not really want to see what she did if he disobeyed.

Raoul had planned to confront Erik the day after Madame Giry had warned him, but it had been too tempting to just wait. After all, that was four more bouquets and notes. It was four more days to listen to their song. It was four more days of… well, maybe Raoul could have avoided Erik's constant groping.

He was here to talk to Erik. There was only one way that he knew Erik would stop and he was reluctant to have their courtship end so abruptly. But, for the opera house, he would sacrifice what he considered the best thing that had happened to him in a while. He'd had time to think about how he felt about Erik. Sure, there was attraction that was obvious. His body reacted whenever Erik was near and sometimes embarrassingly whenever he wasn't. He wasn't adverse to the man's touch if that meant anything. That was mostly lust though. Raoul knew he was just skirting around the truth. Raoul loved the man. He knew he would probably never think of anyone the way he thought of Erik. He couldn't deny that the very thought of Erik not with him physically pained him.

He also knew that this wasn't really right. Erik was a man and admittedly a murderer. His desire and feelings were wrong. Raoul didn't even want to think about how Philippe would act if he found out. He agonized over that fact, but it came down to the simple fact that Philippe wasn't around. He wasn't around and Erik was offering a companionship that he craved.

Because Erik loved him. If this wasn't Erik in love, then Raoul was not sure what lengths he would go to for someone he did love. Erik loved him. No manipulations. Raoul had no doubts of that fact now. He didn't know how he could have doubted Erik before. Christine had definitely left a lasting impression on him. Yet, he couldn't be that angry with her. He doubted that he would have found out just how much Erik loved him if it had not been for his doubt.

It was more than anything he'd really expected, and it had taken quite some time for them to come to this point.

Now, he just had to find the courage to confess his own feelings and hope that Erik would believe him. Or at least find a way to show that he loved him. A simple confession seemed to pale in comparison to what Erik had been doing for him.

However, Raoul realized that if he misspoke, Erik might realize that Raoul had liked him from the very beginning. Erik might find out that he hadn't needed such a long courting period, and Raoul did not want to find out how he would react to that news. He assumed that Erik would be mad. After all, that had been a lot of effort.

He would just have to show Erik in their relationship how much he cared for him.

Relationship?

Raoul hadn't even thought about what would happen after he confessed. It was obvious of course. After courting is marriage, but since they couldn't very well marry, then they'd be in a relationship of sorts. What would that entail? Would they start eating meals together and spend silent evenings across the sitting room reading their separate books and not speaking to each other. That's how the marriages of all his acquaintances ended.

Honestly, Raoul had only been thinking about being able to return Erik's kisses and touches and maybe seeing his home. He hadn't really thought of what confessing to the ghost meant, and it was making Raoul panic. His mind raced. Sure, his feelings were close to obvious, but this wasn't like asking Christine to marry him. They would never be able to have children. God, sexual intercourse. Raoul hadn't even thought about that. Well, he had, a lot, but nothing in great detail.

"Raoul." Erik appeared beside the bed entirely too close to Raoul. Surprised, Raoul scrambled away and fell off the other side of the bed.

Erik watched this was amusement. At least, he wasn't the only one nervous.

Peeking up over the edge, Raoul pretended to smooth out the comforter on the bed as he cleared his throat.

"Erik," he smiled tentatively. "You found me."

Erik smirked, "I never lost you."

Raoul rolled his eyes. Cocky was attractive on the man though. So was smug and gloating. Standing up, Raoul straightened out his clothing. He was stalling and they both knew it.

Erik broke the silence, "I hear that you have something to tell me."

Raoul nodded. It was not surprising that he knew Madame Giry's ultimatum. He _had_ been there to kiss him good-bye shortly after.

"You have to stop what you've been doing."

"Courting you," Erik supplied with a grin.

Nodding, Raoul didn't like having this conversation standing with a bed across from them. He suggested, "Maybe we should sit down?"

Erik nodded. Erik turned away then and took a seat across the room on the throne.

Raoul frowned at his back and followed him. He assumed that Erik already knew what he was going to say. Erik slouched into the seat. Raoul watched this action suspiciously and realized that maybe Erik wasn't sure of what Raoul felt. He thought that he'd been so obvious in his reactions, but Erik was feigning this nonchalance. He was certain that Erik was tense and trying to hide it. That was enough to calm him down.

Erik wasn't giving him a hard time. He was nervous.

Raoul grinned and hopped onto the table near the throne. Maybe this was not so bad having to confront him like this. It wasn't fair to Erik. It wasn't fair that he was doing all the work no matter how much Raoul enjoyed it.

Letting his feet dangle, Raoul thought about what he was going to say.

Erik watched him. He knew it wasn't a very good sign that Raoul was stalling. As anxious as he was to hear Raoul's answer, a part of him knew that it would not matter. If Raoul turned him down, then he would only have to try harder to make Raoul realize there was no other choice but to love him back. He wouldn't just stop. Not after he'd almost memorized the feel of Raoul's body against his though he had yet to explore the taste of his lips. There was no way that Raoul was going to escape.

"This isn't right." Raoul began and wondered why he chose that to start. He was supposed to be telling Erik he reciprocated the feelings not that he was disgusted by them.

Erik frowned. Raoul wasn't looking at him. He'd rather have Raoul look at him than just listen to the words that came out of his mouth. There was more emotion in Raoul's expressions than his words. He had been annoyed these past weeks because Raoul had been emotionless and what emotions he had shown were made always a fraction too late. The disgust though convincing, had Erik always doubting whether it was a true emotion. It was what had put him on edge. It was what pushed him to work that much harder to get him to react. Nothing though. He was not pleased with reticence. He stayed silent though, waiting for what he would say next. Erik had done all his talking with his acts. It was his turn.

"It's disrupting life in the opera house," Raoul looked up at him. Rueful. Tentative.

Nothing there in his eyes that spoke of rejection. Erik allowed himself to relax a bit.

"You need to stop." He added firmly.

Seeing that Raoul was serious about that point, Erik replied, "I won't stop until you say you'll be mine."

Annoyance.

"I'm not yours, Erik." Raoul retorted. Sure, he was interested, but he wasn't anyone's property.

Smirking, Erik stood up gracefully from his throne.

"Not yet at least."

Nervousness.

"Just stop." Raoul tried to reiterate. "They can't even practice anymore." He tried to keep some semblance of calm even though Erik was sauntering over to him. The man was not playing fair.

"Do you not want me?" He said with such pain that Raoul was forced to look at him closer. When he looked away, he missed the smirk that was on Erik's face.

Desire.

"It's not that."

Erik knew he had won. Desire and love were different things, but it was one step closer to his goal. All he needed now was to admit it. "Then what is it?"

Defeat.

"Honestly," Raoul had gone through all the problems of having a relationship with this man, but they all seemed to lose their importance whenever he was around. "I don't know."

"Well," Erik stood directly in front of him. "I don't know isn't a good enough answer to convince me to stop."

Raoul swallowed convulsively. He wanted to look away but Erik's eyes had him trapped. Then he took one more step forward and Raoul was physically trapped. Erik placed his hands one on each side of Raoul's legs which forced him to lean forward. Raoul leaned back in response, but it wasn't far enough. Not when Erik's face was right there. The white porcelain mask taunted him, but not as much as those lips that were currently in a smirk. His breath caressed Raoul's lips.

"So?"

Erik was pleased when Raoul actually let out a shaky breath.

"I'm considering your confession," Raoul stated slowly. The words were no longer coming to him.

Erik nodded and his smirk only grew. He could feel Raoul's heat and he wanted to close the distance, but he wanted to hear Raoul admit he had lost. "And," he prompted.

The butterflies in Raoul's stomach furiously reacted to Erik's triumphant expression. "I-I," Raoul couldn't think. His eyes fluttered close and he did the only thing that made sense. He closed the distance between them. Tilting his head a bit, he tasted Erik, a slow pressing of his lips to Erik's. He explored how it felt to move his lips against the other man's. Over and over again. His hands came up to hold Erik's face to his. His left hand brushed the coolness of the mask, but his fingers felt the warm skin beneath. He let his fingers caress Erik's neck, and he lost himself to everything that was Erik. He tasted heat and passion, and giddily, he thought he could taste Erik's love for him.

Erik held himself back, letting Raoul take the lead. The excruciatingly slow exploration made him grasp the table tightly to physically remind himself to not push Raoul too far. He had thought that Raoul's hands would distract him enough from the kiss that he would be able to control himself, but instead, it drove him closer to losing all control. The caresses made his head spin. He didn't know how long he could keep himself from touching Raoul, but at the same time, he didn't want Raoul's slow, gentle kisses to ever stop. It was like taking a lesson on how to properly kiss Raoul because when he did something right, he could feel Raoul's smile in the next kiss. He wanted to know everything that made Raoul smile and this was the best way he had ever imagined. Though Erik had grown confident in his kissing abilities during the weeks that he had begun to 'attack' Raoul, this was the first extensive study on Raoul's lips. He had been right of course, Raoul was perfect, and though the taste of jam was gone. Erik was certain that Raoul still tasted unbelievably sweet.

Erik finally had his answer. He could make Raoul follow his pace another time.

o.o.o

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End Installment 06

Word count: 2,261

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A/N: Don't forget to R/R (Read and Review)

Chapter review: I think it could have been better, but for some reason I don't know what to change. Those last few paragraphs were okay, but I have a feeling they could have been better. I apologize because I only edited this through once. I usually do it at least twice but I wanted to post sooner than later.

Author review: If you know what story this correlates to, then you have an idea of where I got the inspiration for these series and you'll get a fun surprise in the last installment. Well, our definition of fun may vary, but it's fun enough.


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